Being Loved for the First Time Chapter 29

“Why?”

Mikhail approached my sister with an expression that suggested he genuinely couldn’t understand.

“I’ll be useful if I’m there.”

He was making an appeal based on his own abilities.

But the closer he came, the farther my sister retreated, taking hesitant little steps backward.

‘As expected.’

My sister still seemed to find Mikhail frightening and unfamiliar.

“D-don’t need you!”

“Princess Laurencia.”

“M-me and Shasha can go by ourselves!”

“You could let me join you. Why can’t I come?”

Hey, are you picking a fight with my sister right now?

I glared at Mikhail in displeasure and opened my mouth.

“Siiister, don’ bowa her.”

“I’m not bullying her.”

“Bowaing.”

“I’m telling you I’m not. Do I look that bad to you?”

“Uuh.”

At my immediate answer, Mikhail’s face fell.

And yet he was so cold and expressionless whenever he spoke to my sister.

Seriously, are you blind?

My sister is this adorable and lovable.

Can’t you show her even half the kindness you show me?

‘Well, Mikhail and Sister are only a year apart in age.’

An age difference of one year was often awkward between young children.

No, wait. If that’s the reason, why does he get along perfectly well with Brother?

They’re also only a year apart.

Thinking about it that way only made me more irritated.

It really seemed as though Mikhail was being needlessly mean to my sister.

“Don’ like you.”

“Again with the not liking me?”

Mikhail looked disappointed, but he sighed as though he’d grown accustomed to hearing it.

“I’ve worked really hard to behave like an older brother to you… I’ve even learned a lot from Damian about what an older brother should do. Is it still not enough?”

Then Mikhail shamelessly used his pretty face to appeal to me.

Once again, he was imitating my brother’s smile.

Do you seriously think that’s important right now?

However, the next person to speak wasn’t me.

It was my sister.

“M-Mikhail! You’re not her brother!”

“What?”

Ha, look at that.

He’s making that unpleasant face at Sister again.

This is why I find you even more irritating.

My sister’s heart is as delicate as soft down, unlike mine.

She’s a real little child, so she gets frightened and hurt when you treat her like that.

“No matter how much you copy our brother, Mikhail isn’t Shasha’s brother!”

“Why? Why aren’t I?”

Mikhail attacked my sister with another question.

My sister furrowed her brow, looking as though she had many things she wanted to say.

Then she gripped my hand tightly.

“Because you’re not! Don’t you know that?!”

“…What?”

Mikhail genuinely looked as though he had absolutely no idea what she meant.

That expression is terribly rude, you know.

“Shasha says she doesn’t like you!”

“…”

At those words, even Mikhail fell silent.

After all, I’d told him I didn’t like him many times before.

“Wh-why do you keep, keep asking her to play when Shasha says she doesn’t like you?! Shasha likes me more! Because I’m Shasha’s big sister!”

Those were surprisingly aggressive words from my normally gentle sister.

Mikhail looked back and forth between her and me.

He seemed to know he ought to argue, but had no idea what to say.

‘Well, I really have told him to go away and said I don’t like him over and over.’

Hmm. In truth, those words were usually closer to “Stop bothering me so much” than genuine hatred…

I felt an unpleasant sense of déjà vu.

It reminded me of the time my brother had fought with Mikhail.

Of course, this was far more like an ordinary children’s argument.

‘Should I cry again?’

For a moment, I considered it.

But I also thought this might be a chance for my sister to overcome her fear of Mikhail.

He was blunt and not particularly kind to my sister, but he wasn’t actually someone she needed to fear.

I wanted her to realize that.

Besides, the fundamental reason my brother and sister had begun yielding their playtime with me to Mikhail was my sister’s fear of him.

‘Brother didn’t mind him, but he was being considerate of Mikhail. And because Sister couldn’t come into the room alone when Mikhail was there, Brother deliberately stayed away too.’

There was always the option of all four of us playing together, after all.

But Mikhail was even more shameless than I’d thought.

“The little princess doesn’t dislike me.”

“W-what?!”

“It’s true. Even when she says she doesn’t like me, she’s never actually meant that I should leave. Right, baby?”

Why are you asking me?

I really did tell you to go away, you know.

“See? She agrees.”

I didn’t answer at all?!

My sister’s face immediately fell.

“N-no! Right, Shasha? You like Sister more than Mikhail, don’t you?”

“Uuh.”

When the comparison was that obvious, naturally I answered immediately.

“S-see?!”

“I never said the little princess likes me best. I said she doesn’t dislike me.”

Then Mikhail turned toward my sister with a triumphant expression, as though he’d won.

“So let me join your adventure.”

Seriously, this boy has no idea how to compromise.

And she’s even a year younger than you…

But my sister gathered her courage once again.

“No! It’s a secret just between Shasha and me!”

“Then make it a secret between the three of us. I won’t tell Damian.”

“I said no! Lara says no, so why, why do you keep doing this?”

At last, tears spilled from my sister’s eyes.

She looked terribly upset.

“Lara doesn’t like you! Why do you always wanna play with Shasha all by yourself?! I’m… I’m Shasha’s sister! Hic!”

“Siiister.”

I gently patted her shoulder, hoping to comfort her.

But my sister hugged me tightly and began crying in earnest.

“Shasha is m-my little sister! Sniff! She’s not Mikhail’s sister! She’s mine!”

She began wailing as though she were determined never to let anyone take me away from her.

Even Mikhail, who rarely seemed flustered, stood there hesitating helplessly.

“Waaaah! Mommyyy! Shasha’s my little sister! Mikhail keeps trying to come between us! Lara wants to play with Shasha all the time too! She’s my little sister!”

The moment my sister called for Mother while hugging me, I realized Mother had arrived near the doorway.

However, instead of immediately entering the room to comfort my sister, she seemed to have decided to watch for a little while.

Mother had even stopped the other servants who’d come running at my sister’s sobs, along with Father and Brother.

‘As expected, Mother wants Sister to overcome her fear of Mikhail too.’

Or perhaps she realized that nobody here would take Mikhail’s side.

Still held in my sister’s embrace, I turned my head to look at him.

Once again, I could see both sadness and loneliness in his expression.

Sigh. This is why, even though I find him irritating, I can never bring myself to reject him completely.

He’s only a six-year-old child.

For Mikhail, feelings about family were deeply rooted in both longing and loneliness.

I’d used Choco to learn more about him too.

Mikhail had lost his parents when he was a baby.

His grandfather, who was just as reserved as Mikhail, had therefore encouraged him to spend time with the Endevelan ducal family, where there were several children close to his age.

His grandfather knew he could be someone his grandson respected, but not necessarily an affectionate grandfather.

Even so, Mikhail was still an outsider in the ducal family.

He couldn’t truly step inside the circle of family.

Things might have been different if he’d possessed a naturally cheerful, sociable personality.

But Mikhail had very strong likes and dislikes.

And apparently, when he’d first met my sister, not much time had passed since he’d lost his parents, so he’d been particularly guarded.

‘Brother probably understood that because he’s so mature.’

By now, Mikhail had been spending time at the ducal residence since before I was born, and some of his emotional wounds had gradually healed.

But there was something he probably didn’t realize.

My sister had been hurt by him.

After all, people who hurt others often forgot they’d done so.

‘And my sister almost never tells people she dislikes them.’

Even when a maid had spilled soup on her beloved deer doll, my sister had only been a little upset before quickly smiling and comforting the maid instead.

‘It’s okay! You just gotta make my deer clean again! Maybe Deer wanted a bath!’

My sister truly had the disposition of an angel.

And she’d reached out to Mikhail far more often than he probably remembered.

But you were the one who rejected every one of those attempts.

I looked toward Mikhail and silently formed the words with my lips.

‘Apologize.’

With a baby’s uncertain mouth movements, most people would never have understood.

But somehow, I thought that boy would.

And besides…

‘…I think he genuinely doesn’t know what to do.’

Mikhail was simply born awkward when it came to relationships.

What could I do about that?

Even I knew what he ought to do in a situation like this.

As though he’d truly understood my lip movements, Mikhail gave me a slightly embarrassed, grateful smile.

Then he immediately bowed his head toward my sobbing sister.

“I’m sorry, Princess Laurencia.”

“…Huh?”

“There are a lot of things I don’t understand. I don’t have a younger sibling.”

Look at him, using the same excuse he used with my brother.

Well, it wasn’t a lie.

“I’m really sorry. I don’t understand why you dislike me, Princess Laurencia. Could you teach me?”

Then Mikhail gazed at my sister with extraordinary politeness.

Before I knew it, he’d lowered himself onto one knee.

He really is remarkably good at making gestures like that look picturesque.

Perhaps my sister had never expected him to apologize, because her tears suddenly stopped.

“Hm? I’m truly sorry, Princess Laurencia.”

He even apologized a second time.

That was why I couldn’t truly hate him.

He never let pride or stubbornness get in the way of apologizing.

My sister continued watching him warily, but she finally spoke in a hesitant voice.

“Lara… Lara’s Lara.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t like it when you keep calling me Princess… Even the knights and maids call me Lara, but Mikhail always says Second Princess or Princess Laurencia.”

Mikhail tilted his head slightly.

Then he glanced toward me, looking as though he was wondering whether I disliked being called the youngest princess too.

No, I really don’t care.

I’m not particularly interested in becoming that close to you.

Please concentrate on my sister!

“Then will you forgive me if I call you Lara?”

“…If Shasha says it’s okay.”

After thinking for a long time, my sister nodded.

My sister really was so generous-hearted.

Two pairs of eyes turned toward me.

Naturally, my answer was already decided.

“Okayyy.”

At my response, Mikhail’s expression became considerably calmer.

Unfortunately, my sister looked a little dejected instead.

After a moment’s thought, I decided to convey my feelings through actions.

After all, anything I tried to say would only be properly understood if Mikhail translated it.

Smack.

The moment I kissed my sister’s soft, squishy cheek, her green eyes, as clear as a summer lake, widened.

Then she hugged me tightly once again and broke into a radiant smile.

“As expected, Shasha likes me best, right? Because I’m her big sister!”

Her voice had become bright and clear again, as though she’d never cried at all.